Friends,
We are excited to share some exciting updates that have transpired this past year.
Following Oakland's call for an Investigation of this handover, several interesting developments took place:
- President Hillman resigned.
- Dean Martin, dean of students, resigned.
- Oakland Councilmember Loren Taylor put the Mills Campus on the rezoning list (per his positive collaboration with NU)
- Mills Alums and Friends rallied and our collective voices were heard. The campus was removed from the rezoning plan.
- Loren Taylor lost his bid for Mayor of Oakland.
- The Inaugural Director of the Mills Institute was "let go" just shy of six-months. No replacement has been named.
The most recent development is the settlement of the Student Civil Lawsuit.
On Tuesday, November 7, the Honorable Judge Brad Seligman gave preliminary approval of a $1.25M settlement for "former students at Mills College in Oakland who claimed they were misled, and forced to spend more on education..." S.F Chronicle, 11/8/2023.
408 students will share the settlement, after lawyer fees. The "damages" will vary based on each individual student's case. A hearing for final approval is scheduled for March, 2024.
Despite the possible consequences, a handful of students stepped forward to represent the entire body. We applaud these five students for "showing their Mills" with moxie, grit and courage.
NE's independent student paper captured the reactions of our Mills students to the lawsuit settlement. They reported that students felt like it was a "payout...it feels like business as usual."
The fact remains that Judge Seligman has found the College guilty of fraud and deceit. It's hardly a stretch to consider that the alum body and the entire Mills community were also subjected to half-truths.
In the world of higher education, regulations are seemingly non-existent.
Help us change that.
Legislators need to know that we care for our students, professors and all connected to academia. Big business tactics have no place in education.
Please continue to share this petition. Our collective voice is powerful! Thank you so much.